Urban Herb Gardens in Limited Space
Having an herb garden at your fingertips means you can add flavor and variety to your meals without leaving home. The aromatic oils in herbs such as basil and cilantro seem more intense when you grow them yourself and pluck them moments before you serve them. Herbs are easy to grow in a warm, sunny climate -- even in an urban garden with limited space. Does this Spark an idea?
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Window Box
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Growing herbs in a window box saves valuable outdoor space for storage and entertaining. Attach a galvanized steel rack to the outside of a sunny window. Grow herbs in a collection of small clay pots stored in the rack. Most herbs look good while they grow, so your window box will enhance the appearance of your home from the outside. When a recipe calls for fresh herbs, just open the window and use scissors to snip the leaves you need.
Herb Basket
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A basket overflowing with herbs can do double duty as a centerpiece on your deck or patio table. Choose a shallow, rectangular basket with a handle. Line it with black plastic, and cut a few slits in the plastic for drainage. Add small herb plants, placing upright plants such as chives and basil in the center of the basket and trailing plants such as oregano and mint along the outer edges. Enjoy the fragrance when you sit outside on sunny days.
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Herb Border
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If your outdoor space includes a small planting bed or border, use the space to plant herbs on a grid of one plant per square foot of space. Arrange tall plants in the middle of the garden plot and shorter plants along the perimeter. According to an article by Deirdre Larkin, an instructor at the New York Botanical Garden, this efficient, no-frills design of square or rectangular beds laid out on a grid originated in European medieval gardens.
Container Garden
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Potted herbs grown in 6-inch pots are well-suited to an urban garden with limited space. Place the pots in sunny spots around your deck or patio. As an alternative, place 4-inch pots of herbs in a narrow window box and set the box on a ledge or wide railing. The window box will catch drips from watering and will make it easy for you to move all your herbs close to the kitchen door when you start cooking.
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References
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